Police are searching for missing person Marco Bruno Garcia, 34, from North Bergen. A missing poster is hanging in Mario's Pizza on Eighth Street in Hoboken, where Garcia works.

North Bergen Police Sgt. Bronson Justino said Wednesday that before he disappeared, Garcia had been discussing with his family that he wanted to go back to Mexico, where he is from. However, Justino said that no one from his family in Mexico has heard from him.

“Now they’re trying to figure out where he is, because he left his cell phone, his passport and another type of ID,” said Justino. “It didn’t look like he packed up and left.”

Garcia was last seen on March 6.

Anyone with information about Garcia’s whereabouts is asked to contact the North Bergen Police Department at (201) 392-2100.

Hudson County CASA hosting wine tasting on March 22

Hudson County CASA (court appointed special advocates), an organization in which volunteers help provide advocacy and legal assistance to nearly 1,000 foster children throughout Hudson County, will host a wine tasting in the atrium of Jersey City’s Harborside Financial Center on March 22 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The fundraiser is being thrown with the help of The Wine Library of Springfield, which has hand-chosen a diverse group of 90 wines for tasting. Food and dessert will also be provided. In addition to the tasting, there will be a cork pull, a silent auction and free parking. All proceeds will go toward Hudson County CASA.

Tickets currently cost $75, and will be sold for $85 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org or call (201) 795-9855.

North Bergen Free Public Library presents events and reading incentive

Teen Movie Night will take place on Wednesday, March 20 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the lower-level of the conference room, with free admission. The movie will be “Holes,” which is about Stanley Yelnats who is sent to a detention camp after being falsely accused of a crime, and told by the warden to dig holes in the desert in search of a mysterious buried treasure.

A colon cancer informational event will be on Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. Gastroenterologists Peter Caride, MD and John Sotiriadis, MD will be available to discuss colon and rectal cancer, gastrointestinal diseases along with gluten intolerance. This is made possible by the Hispanic Outreach Program and Holy Name Medical Center for Wellness Wednesdays. It will be held at the North Bergen Free Public Library which is located at 8411 Bergenline Ave.

Also, Palermo Pizzeria & Restaurant has joined with The North Bergen Free Public Library’s Reading Incentive Program. The restaurant is located at 7407 Broadway and will give away a free slice of cheese pizza to any child once 10 books are checked out. Vouchers can be obtained in the Children’s Department of the library. For more information call (201) 869-4715 or visit www.nbpl.org.

School district will hold elections April 16

The number of school districts with April school elections has dwindled to 41, as more than 500 school districts in New Jersey will hold their elections in November instead.

Thirty-three communities opted to move their elections to November starting in 2013, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported on Wednesday, March 6. The Hudson County districts conducting school elections on April 16 are: North Bergen, Secaucus, and Weehawken.

In January 2012, a new law gave local boards of education, municipal governing bodies or voters the option to move the annual school election from April to the November General Election. In 2012, 468 school districts conducted November elections. This year, the number of districts with November elections will increase to 501.

The law was designed to increase participation in the non-partisan school board elections, which typically attracted about 15 percent of registered voters each April. It provides communities with two additional incentives to move their school elections to November.

School boards with November elections do not have to submit their proposed base budgets to voters, as long as the budget remains at or below the state’s 2-percent tax levy cap. Supporters of the November election option cite the savings made possible by eliminating the additional election in April. Prior to the law’s enactment, the bill’s sponsors estimated the statewide cost of the April school elections at more than $7 million.

New Jersey Meadowlands Commission scheduled events

The Third-Tuesday-of-the-Month Bird Walk will be on Tuesday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. Guests will celebrate the arrival of spring a day early with this free Harrier Meadow spring bird walk in North Arlington. The walk will go around the 70-acre natural area that is normally closed to the public and guests will look for ospreys, killdeer and other spring arrivals, plus lingering winter waterfowl. The walk starts at 10 a.m. at Harrier Meadow, on Disposal Road near Schuyler Avenue. (Note: There may be construction vehicles on Valley Brook Avenue, so Harrier Meadow may be best reached by Schuyler Avenue). The walk is run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.

For last minute updates visit meadowblog.net. Guests will have to sign a standard liability release which is good for all NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. To RSVP, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or call (201)230-4983.

Out of This Solar System – Planets Orbiting Stars will be on Wednesday, March 20 from 2 to 3 p.m. which is open to all ages. Following a brief, non-technical overview of our own solar system, Dr. John Sloan, director of the NJMC William McDowell Observatory, will discuss new and exciting findings about planets orbiting other stars known as extrasolar plantets, or exoplanets. Guests will examine some of the strange worlds beyond our solar system and explore whether they can support life. Admission is $5 and $4 for MEC members. This event will be held at Meadowlands Environment Center at Two DeKorte Park Plaza in Lyndhurst.

For more information call (201) 460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

Signs of Spring: Watercolor Painting for Kids is on Saturday, March 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. for ages 6 through 12 accompanied by an adult. If you have a “budding” artist in your family then this is their event. Kids are invited to celebrate the arrival of the new season by using watercolor pencils to both draw and paint images of DeKorte Park and the signs of spring. Guests will take home art and supplies which are included. Admission is $10 per child and $9 for MEC members. It will be held at Meadowlands Environment Center on Two DeKorte Park Plaza in Lyndhurst.

For more information call (201) 460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

Local blood bank seeking volunteers to work drives

New Jersey Blood Services, a division of New York Blood Center, which supplies blood products and services to 60 hospitals throughout the state, is in need of volunteers at blood drives. The blood service volunteer is an integral member of the collection team whose task it is assist donors with registration, escorting and canteen duties, and to watch for post donation reactions. Volunteers should have the ability to relate to the public, be able to perform different jobs as needed and have the willingness to follow the rules.

For additional information contact, Manager of Community Relations, R. Jan Zepka at (732) 616-8741 or rzepka@nybloodcenter.org.

Anti-drug group seeking commercial ideas from middle schoolers

Calling all future movie writers and producers! The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is calling on New Jersey middle school students to write, star in and produce a television commercial with a substance abuse prevention message for their peers by entering the 14th Annual Middle School Public Service Announcement Challenge (MSPSA).

Students in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade are invited to create a 30-second television Public Service Announcement (PSA) script designed to get a substance abuse prevention message out to their peers.

“The students who submit the winning script not only write the 30-second PSA, but produce, edit, and star in the spot that is often filmed at their school,” said media director Angela Conover. Each school can enter multiple teams, but each team may only submit one PSA.

St. John’s Lutheran Church will be the host site for a new support group for individuals, friends and families who are looking to connect during life’s challenging times. If you’re facing a major illness or stressful life change, you don’t have to go it alone. A support group can help. This will be a non-professional self help group.

This group will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 155 North St., Jersey City, every Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Coffee and tea will be available. Enter through back door of the church in the parking lot on Summit Avenue.

Support groups bring together people facing similar issues, whether that’s illness, relationship problems or major life changes. Members of support groups often share experiences and advice. It can be helpful just getting to talk with other people who are in the same boat. A support group can help you cope better and feel less isolated as you make connections with others facing similar challenges. Many are offered support by family and friends, but you may find it helpful to turn to others outside your immediate circle. We all need a caring shoulder sometimes, or a place where we can cry, laugh, hug, or pray.

For any other info, call Rose Davis (201) 214-5300 or email her at rosednj25@aim.com.

Please call if there is bad weather to make sure that night’s meeting has not been cancelled.